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Omaha launching extra weather balloons to help Irma forecast

National Weather Service meteorologists will be sending weather balloons up into the sky four times a day, instead of the normal twice-a-day launches, to help forecasters gain better insight into Hurricane Irma's likely course.

National Weather Service meteorologists will be sending weather balloons up into the sky four times a day, instead of the normal twice-a-day launches, to help forecasters gain better insight into Hurricane Irma's likely course.

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Updated: 5:47 PM CDT Sep 4, 2017

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WEBVTT THE NATIONAL HURRICANECENTER IN MIAMI MAKE BETTERFORECASTS.>> FOR THE FORECAST MODELS, WENEED TO HAVE GOOD DATA GOINGINTO THEM.ALEX: THAT'S WHY METEOROLOGISTSINSIDE THE NATIONAL WEATHERSERVICE ARE SENDING THESErtRADIOSONDES UP INTO THE SKY FOURTIMES A DAY INSTEAD OF THENORMAL TWOONCE THE CALIBRATION ISCOMPLETE, IT'S TIME TO HErtOUTSIDE TO THE LAUNCH SHED.>> WE HAVE OUR BALLOON FILLEDWITH ABOUT 900 GRAMS OHYDROGEN.ALEX: WHEN RELEASED, THISBALLOON GOES UP ABOUT 1000 FEETEVERY MINUrtE.>> AND IT DOES SEEM LIKE OLDTECHNOLOGY.I'M SURE THERE ARE GOING TO rtBETTER METHODS OF SAMPLING UPPERAIR DATA, BUT RIGHT NOWMEASURING IT WITH THE INSTRUMENTGOING THROUGH THE PARCEL OF AIRIS THE BEST WE HAVE RIGHT NOALEX: THE REASON FOR THE EXTRArtLAUNCHES COMES DOWN TO HOWFORECAST MODELS WORK.>> ALL THE MODELS RUN FROM THESAME STARTING POINT, RUN THEIRDIFFERENT EQUATIONS TO GETPERHAPS A DIFFERENT OR MAYBE ASAME, SIMILAR OUTPUT.rtALEX: IF MODELS START WITH POORDATA, THEN THE OUTPUTS WILL BEJUST AS POOR.HAVING DATA EVERY SIX HOURSCOMPARED TO EVERY 12 HOURS GIVESTHE MODELS A MUCH MORE ACCURATESTARTING POINT.rt>> MODELS AREN'T PERFECT, BUTTHEY'RE GETTING BETTER AND THEMORE INFORMATION WE CAN FEEDINTO THESE MODELS THE BETTER OFFIT IS FOR EVERYONE.ALEX: THE NArtTIONAL WEATHERSERVICE IN VALLEY SAY THEY WILLBE LAUNCHING THE EXTRA BALLOONSUNTIL IRMA MAKES LANDFALL.AGAIN, IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TOTELL EXACTLY WHERE IRMA ISGOING, BUT WE WILL BE KEEPING Art

Omaha launching extra weather balloons to help Irma forecast

National Weather Service meteorologists will be sending weather balloons up into the sky four times a day, instead of the normal twice-a-day launches, to help forecasters gain better insight into Hurricane Irma's likely course.

National Weather Service meteorologists will be sending weather balloons up into the sky four times a day, instead of the normal twice-a-day launches, to help forecasters gain better insight into Hurricane Irma's likely course.

"For the forecast models we need to have good data going into them," NWS meteorologist Becky Kern said.

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After the weather instruments were calibrated, the radiosonde was brought outside to the launch shed.

"We have our balloon filled with about 900 grams of hydrogen," Kern said.

After the balloon was released it went up about 1,000 feet every minute.

"It does seem like old technology. I'm sure there are going to be better methods of sampling upper air data, but right now measuring it with the instrument going through the parcel of air is the best we have," Kern said.

The reason for the extra launches came down to how forecast models work.

"All the models run from the same starting point, run their different equations to get perhaps a different or maybe a same, similar output," Kern said.

If models start with poor data, then the outputs will be just as poor. Having new data every six hours compared with every 12 hours gives the models a much more accurate starting point.

"Models aren't perfect but they're getting better and the more information we can feed into these models the better off it is for everyone," Kern said.